Hunters
Hunters is a generic term used to describe anyone who hunts supernatural creatures. Hunters, typically, are not mystically empowered. Hunters have a vague community, in which one central person helps coordinate and provides backup should a hunter need it. Many years ago, the order known as the Men of Letters would likely have filled this position for the most elite hunters. Hunters rarely remain in one place long, and seldom travel alone. Some hunters, however, prefer to take a stationary position in a big city or areas of supernatural power that often attract monsters. These hunters often take (or find themselves in) jobs in nightlife or on the streets -- bouncers, prostitutes, dancers. These jobs often fund the activities of a hunter, though the far more common traveling hunters often resort to credit card fraud. Some find ways of funding their hunts in more legal methods -- corporate (or government, in the case of agents of the Demon Research Initiative) backing or jobs that require a great deal of travel, such as the music industry. Characteristics A hunter typically enters into the occupation due to a traumatic, supernatural event which forever changes their life. This is often the death of a loved one. After this, it typically becomes something of a "family business" that is passed down to each generation. To support this, hunter keeps journals detailing their exploits and the creatures they have encountered. If a hunter has a house, they usually will not spend long in it and are seldom friendly towards their neighbors. Hunters are constantly searching for any supernatural or strange occurences that may need to be investigated. Hunters are typically very skilled in hand-to-hand combat and trained in a variety of weapons. They are skilled escape artists and are incredibly stealthy for an average human. Most hunters are fluent in archaic Latin, and may also have knowledge of a variety of other languages. Many hunters also become well-versed in many skills that are outside the laws, as hunters consider themselves to be. These include credit card fraud, lockpicking, how to impersonate and evade various government and law enforcement agencies, computer hacking, car jacking, and theft. Hunters have also developed very specific funeral rites. When a hunter dies, their body is laid down on a row of logs and draped in a white sheet. They are then salted and burned in order to prevent their return as a ghost or other undead creature. Equipment A typical hunter maintains a full arsenal of weaponry. *Guns - hunters have found that guns, while not useful against a lot of supernatural beings, can be modified to be much more helpful. Bullets with arcane symbols carved into them can prove highly useful, silver bullets are effective against certain creatures, and shotgun cartridges can be loaded with salt. *Blades - an effective way of defending oneself in close range, knives and other bladed weapons, such as swords and axes, are thoroughly valuable as a last resort *Salt - fairly mundane and easy to obtain, salt can be used defensively against a wide variety of supernatural creatures, such as ghouls and barghests. *Silver - enough supernatural beings, such as werewolves and skinwalkers, are vulnerable to silver that it is eminently practical to always keep a weapon made of silver handy. *Iron - able to harm ghosts, some demons, and a variety of other supernatural creatures, iron may be even more practical than silver. *Holy Water - used to repel and wound a variety of unholy menaces, hunters keep a constant supply of holy water with them. *Hunter's Journals - most hunters maintain a journal or bestiary detailing their hunts. Hunter Types Some hunters specialize in specific areas of the supernatural: *Demon Hunters - hunters who specifically target demonic activity. *Witch Hunters - zealous hunters who believe the magic of witches is always demonic, they have sworn to kill all witches. *Werewolf Hunters - these hunters typically hunt after any and all Lycanthropes. *Vampire Hunters - armed with crossbows and wooden stakes, these hunters specialize in ending the undead. The term "hunters" is used widely in the United States. Other geographic regons may use other terms. For instance: *Breakers are hunters in Scotland. *Hanta are hunters in Japan. Although not strictly considered hunters, some mystically powered warriors share many of the same qualities: *Grimms - mystically empowered, Grimms have hunted Wesen for generations. *Vampire Slayers - a single, female warrior, the Slayer is Chosen to defend the Earth against vampire and demonkind. Notable Hunters *The Winchester Family *The Campbell Family *The Harvelle Family *John Constantine Appearances Supernatural *All Episodes At the Mouth of Hell *All Episodes Sources Hunters are derived from: *''Supernatural'' *''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' *''Angel'' *''The Secret Circle'' Category:Humans Category:Hunters Category:At the Mouth of Hell Creatures Category:Supernatural Creatures